I was a few months away from my ninth birthday in 1977 when the words “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….” ushered in a little movie that would change the landscape of science fiction film making forever. As I sat at the drive in theater with my parents and younger brother, a handful of characters, both good and bad, entered my psyche and have never left. Two in particular have been fictional heroes since that day: Han Solo and his Wookie companion, Chewbacca.
The prodigal son has returned…with news.
I am now a Million Step Man!
One of the things I have been striving to do in my quest for better health and fitness is to decrease the amount of time I spend sedentary, especially at work. It is not uncommon for me to get caught up in paperwork and meetings and end up sitting away and entire work day. As they say, “sitting is the new smoking”.
As a way to keep myself movement-conscious, I followed my wife’s example and became a part of the Fitbit generation.
(Art by Kimberly Kincaid. Used with Permission)
“Come away, O human child: To the waters and the wild with a fairy, hand in hand, For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand.”
~William Butler Yeats
After a weekend spent enjoying the company of fellow geeks at Kansas City’s Planet Comicon (I was there to promote Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 4), I awoke to a Monday that gave us 80 degree temperatures and a nice breeze. Though it was a few days early, Spring had truly arrived. Spring fever promptly set in, and with it came that wonderful sound of a familiar voice calling out to us, “Come Away…”.
It is that voice that beckons us to Middle-earth and to Newford, that calls out from the gap in the village of Wall and from the world of London Below. It is the voice that packs so much promise into four little words…
“Once upon a time…”
Perhaps you too have heard that voice whispering on the spring wind, or perhaps Old Man Winter continues to drown out the sound; either way that time has come: Once Upon a Time is here!
Saturday, March 21st marks the official start date of the ninth annual Once Upon a Time Challenge. This is a reading and viewing and gaming event that encompasses four broad categories: Fairy Tale, Folklore, Fantasy and Mythology, including the seemingly countless sub-genres and blending of genres that fall within this spectrum. The challenge continues through June 21st and allows for very minor (1 book only) participation as well as more immersion depending on your reading/viewing/gaming whims.
Don’t like the word “challenge”? We have something special just for you.
Come away, and I’ll tell you more…
In less than a week two men who had an early, and lasting, influence over my love of science fiction have garnered recognition, one because of his sudden passing and the other for receiving word of a great accolade.
Oddly enough, both men share the initials “L.N.”
Last week ended in sadness, this week has begun with a smile.
We all have books that haunt us, right? Those books that, for one reason or another, float at the edge of our consciousness, that appear in our peripheral vision but don’t quite seem to register on a regular basis but once in awhile make an appearance, reminding us that they are still there and we have yet to read them?
Voyage of the Star Wolf has been one of those books, and in a moment I will explain why. But first:
The Silk Road Convoy has existed for a long time, having built itself up to be the most profitable and most safe caravan in space. Its success makes it a tempting target for piracy, and thus the thousand-ship convoy exists to protect the lives and the goods of those companies and individuals who conduct trade between the stars.
The Morthan Solidarity would like nothing more than to strike a fatal blow to the Alliance, and the Silk Road Convoy is the ideal place to do just that. The LS-1187 is a destroyer-class Alliance ship that has yet to earn a proper name because both ship and crew are untested in battle. That will change soon after joining the Silk Road Convoy, but the name that they earn–Jonah–will set them on a dangerous quest for vengeance.
David Gerrold, famous for penning the script for one of Star Trek‘s most well-known episodes, “The Trouble With Tribbles”, brings a visual media sensibility to his writing, making Voyage of the Star Wolf a novel with a compelling pace. While not perfect in execution, Voyage of the Star Wolf was hard to put down and I found myself purposefully scheduling time during a busy week to read “just a few more pages”.
I am pleased that Voyage of the Star Wolf continued to haunt me over the past twenty-five years, it was well worth reading and I intend to seek out its prequel and sequel siblings.
My Rating: 7.5/10
